A Blanc-de-Chine porcelain group of the He-He twins

Dehua ware, Qing dynasty, 18th century
Height: 10 ½ in (26.5 cm)

The group shows the heavenly or He-He twins, usually symbols of harmony, especially in married couples, and of riches. Here the twins stand on a lotus leaf over a lotus pond. The twin on the left holds a banana leaf instead of the usual lotus leaf, while the other holds the traditional box, from which a turtle emerges. The base shows the thickness and cracks expected of 18th century Blanc-de-Chine.

A similar group is illustrated in Maria Penkala, Magic Blanc de Chine: A Guide of the Collector and Dealer (Amsterdam: 1980), pl. CXXII, p. 224. For further reading on the iconography of this group see Wolfram Eberhard, A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols, English Edition (New York: 1988) p. 142, and John Ayers, Blanc-de-Chine, Divine Images in Porcelain (New York: 2002), p.91.

Published: Asiantiques, Chinese Works of Art (2009), cat. no. 86

Ref. 859367

SOLD